Wasn't This Cheat Ability Way Too Late?

Ignoring Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, which were practically blazing with fury, Uchiha Yuji withdrew his Susanoo and vanished.

"Uchiha have a lot to take care of today, so please leave as soon as possible."

"Also, despite everything that's happened, Uchiha are still part of Konoha."

After witnessing Shimura Danzō's miserable end, no one wanted to test the Uchiha's limits. They exchanged a few glances, then obediently left. Peace and quiet returned to the Uchiha Clan Compound once more.

Meanwhile, in another dimension, the Uchiha were all flushed with excitement, their Sharingan gleaming.

They had long been fed up with Shimura Danzō, too!

"Lord Yuji, if we do this, will the Uchiha still be able to put down roots in Konoha?" one of the more levelheaded Uchiha asked quietly.

Uchiha Yuji crossed his arms, looking unconcerned. "Killing Shimura Danzō doesn't mean we're defecting from the village."

"Sure, it'll offend Sarutobi Hiruzen, but Konoha doesn't belong to the Sarutobi Clan."

Shimura Danzō wasn't quite as deranged as he would become in the future, but he was already exceptionally good at making people miserable.

Root had never been Konoha's Root. It was Shimura Danzō's Root. He claimed that "everything was for Konoha" and that "for a tree to flourish, someone must quietly serve as its roots," but all he did was turn his subordinates into tools without wills of their own.

Which clan in Konoha, big or small, hadn't had someone dragged into Root?

And once someone joined Root, the person they knew disappeared completely. Their name could even be erased from the clan records.

Some small clans had only a handful of members to begin with.

The Uchiha—an utterly unhinged clan—had killed Shimura Danzō. That was good news for them. It wasn't enough to make them think any less of the Uchiha, but they would certainly go home and celebrate with a drink. At the very least, some of them would see the Uchiha in a new light.

Well, perhaps not a new light.

And Uchiha Yuji's show of strength might even persuade clans struggling to survive to seek the Uchiha's protection.

In the Shinobi World, the weak always admired the strong.

"When it comes to politics, our entire clan couldn't match a single member of the Nara Clan. But as long as the Uchiha maintain their strength, no one will dare look down on us."

"But in that case, Lord Yuji, will we really be able to take the position of Hokage?" Uchiha Yashiro asked cautiously.

There were hardly any normal people in the Uchiha Clan. Once they awakened the Sharingan, their way of thinking became different from everyone else's, and they all tended toward extremes.

With personalities like that, becoming Hokage? They might as well go to bed and dream about it.

Uchiha Yuji glanced at Uchiha Yashiro with an expression that said, You're so stupid, son. I'm disappointed in you.

"Yashiro, you're one of the smarter Uchiha. Let me ask you this: if one of us became Hokage, what would we actually gain besides the honor?"

"Of course..." Uchiha Yashiro suddenly trailed off.

Was there anything the Uchiha lacked?

Ever since the Warring States Period, the Uchiha had been a clan renowned for its fighting prowess. They never lacked missions. Some people even sought them out specifically, not for any other reason than the sense of security they provided.

Hire a few Uchiha shinobi, and as long as you could put up with their strange tempers, you could rest assured that you'd be safe.

What? Assassination missions?

Wasn't that the Uchiha's ancestral trade?

And missions weren't all they had. The clan owned all kinds of businesses. Two or three streets outside the Uchiha Clan Compound were practically all Uchiha property.

Their holdings weren't limited to Konoha, either. They owned businesses in many parts of the Land of Fire. Apart from being a little weak in medicine, they had a hand in just about every industry.

The main point was that they were rich.

As for their influence in Konoha?

Uchiha Yashiro might have had a few things to say about it before, but after seeing Uchiha Yuji's unmatched dominance today, he understood that sometimes, strength was the only real influence.

We Uchiha admit defeat when it comes to brains. Now let's compare fists! Let's see whether your head or my fist is harder!

What? The Uchiha don't play fair?

When have we ever played fair?

Uchiha Yashiro suddenly understood and quickly bowed his head. "I understand, Lord Yuji!"

Uchiha Yuji smiled gently. "You don't need to be so formal. We're clan members, family bound by blood. Just call me Yuji."

"I wouldn't dare, Lord Yuji."

Though Uchiha Yuji had said that, Uchiha Yashiro didn't presume to call him by his first name. Instead, he hurriedly showed how lowly he was.

It was a matter of ingrained hierarchy. Changing his mindset would be as difficult as changing the world.

"Ah, forget it."

Uchiha Yuji gazed across the barren planet at the crowds bustling in the distance, then spoke. "Yashiro, sorry to trouble you, but take the ordinary clan members back to the compound. While you're at it, take some money from the clan and give it to them."

"Also, tell them I appreciate all their hard work these past few days."

"Yes."

Uchiha Yuji turned around and sat cross-legged on the desolate steel ground, carefully sensing the changes in his body.

Fear, hatred, joy, trust—countless emotions poured into him. The invisible, intangible chains of emotion were gradually swallowed and absorbed by the being inside him.

They were sustenance, nourishment that helped the monster inside him grow. Powerful emotions were accelerating Zetton's growth.

The enormous egg pulsed continuously, and its bright yellow organs became more and more visible.

This was what gave Uchiha Yuji the confidence to act as he pleased.

The law of the universe—Zetton!

And not just an ordinary Zetton, but a Hyper Zetton—one whose power Uchiha Yuji could already borrow even while it was still in its egg.

This was a Hyper Zetton that Uchiha Yuji had personally modified to feed on emotions of all kinds. Positive or negative, they would all help it grow.

Across the vast universe, the amount of energy one possessed only determined one's basic combat strength. What truly decided victory or defeat was always one's will.

Perhaps this modified Hyper Zetton would take much longer to mature, but once it hatched, it would undoubtedly stand at the pinnacle among monsters.

What did Konoha's conflicts matter? What did restoring the Uchiha Clan matter?

None of that mattered!

I was only using you to fuel my evolution!